


Honey, you're my golden star

by Silverdancer



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, Fairy Tale Style, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-10 10:56:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20526872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverdancer/pseuds/Silverdancer
Summary: Yoohyeon is told that she needs to marry in order to be queen.





	Honey, you're my golden star

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This is not historically accurate in any way and it does not pretend to be.

> This is a story about a princess that did not want to marry. 
> 
> There are many of those stories, you must think. And in a lot of ways, this story is not unlike others. That is correct. 
> 
> However, magic hides in the details. 
> 
> And this one, my dear, is a story full of magic.

***

Times are changing.

Yoobin overhears her father talking about a letter they received. Something about a meeting between countries, all together in one place, to establish alliances. Reinforcement. Times have been rough, and it would be beneficial to strengthen the kingdom’s relationships. 

Yoobin thinks it’s all a good idea in theory, mulling about it in her room at night, reading stolen books under the moonlight. She wishes she could go beside her father, see it for herself. 

Yoobin doesn’t want to marry, not yet. She’s not ready to rule, too young and unprepared, but she’s willing and eager. And very, very smart. She would do anything for her family, her kingdom. And before she even considers marrying, she wants to make sure that she will be a good queen. 

Despite all that, she is still surprised when she is informed that she will be the one representing the kingdom. All by herself.

Yoobin accepts the honor with as much grace as she can, and promises to make them proud. 

(There will be screams of joy and jumping in beds, on the privacy of her room. Everyone who hears will smile and keep the secret to themselves.)

*

So eager she is that somehow she finds herself in the host’s castle almost a week before the event begins.

“Don’t worry, we had everything ready already,” they say when she tries to apologize, mentioning that she will go find some inn to stay in the surrounding area. Her luggage is already halfway through one of the biggest corridors Yoobin has seen in a long long time by then, so she has no other option but to agree. 

There is not a lot to do in a foreign castle, all by herself, so once she’s done unpacking she does the only thing she can think of: she finds the library and loses herself inside. 

(Yoobin doesn’t know, but she meets Yoohyeon then. It’s a glorious, short moment, with Yoohyeon surprising Yoobin reaching out for one of the books out of her reach. Yoohyeon comes in to get some documents from the desk and doesn’t even blink in surprise when she finds Yoobin, a stranger, on her tiptoes. What she does is come near to help her. Yoohyeon smiles at her when she gives her the book. “One of my favorites, good choice,” she says, and she’s gone before Yoobin can think of anything to reply.)

*

The experience is everything Yoobin dreamed it would be, and then some.

She meets familiar faces from kingdom neighboring hers, kings and queens and family members or advisers that come representing their country just like Yoobin does. People who have seen her grow and who greet her with a smile when they talk.

She learns about the kingdoms in the area in a way that she had not expected to do. It’s so much different than the way she studies them at home, with books and speeches and family trees. She meets people from kingdoms that she had only heard about in books. 

At night, she writes her experiences and learnings of the day and hopes to not let her kingdom down.

Perhaps, the most exciting thing for her is finding people around her same age. She knows, logically, that most of them come in search to find a maybe suitable partner in order to marry. It’s a hassle, but tradition is tradition, and Yoobin gets it. But then she finds people like Bora, who is just as excited as Yoobin is to find people they can be friendly with. 

Bora, who seems to know a lot of things about a lot of people. “It comes with the job,” she says, “you learn to listen.” Bora, who tells her an interesting story.

“In order to marry her,” Bora starts, “the person who wants to get her hand in marriage will need to get the key to her heart.” They are laying on Yoobin’s bed and Bora’s voice reminds her of the one her mother used to tell her stories about champions and dragons. “But it is not a key she owns, nor a key hidden inside the palace. It is said that it is her cat who has the key to her heart, and only the person that manages to get it from her will be allowed to marry her.”

(Later that night, when Bora is long gone, Yoobin thinks about the story. She is surprised to note that her first thought is how nice of an idea that is. She thinks of the pressure of her advisers for her to find someone to rule with before they can even consider her a suitable heir for her own legacy and is impressed by Yoohyeon’s solution.)

***

The event is a sound success.

Yoohyeon, of course, is over the moon. She receives the congratulations from every person attending, and on the weeks after it’s done there’s an influx of news regarding treaties and alliances between kingdoms, and in all of them her event is mentioned in some way or another. 

_Her event._

Her _first_ event as a reigning princess, to add to that.

She couldn’t ask for anything better.

*

And then they asked her to do it again.

Such had been the success that everyone agreed that this should be an event that happens every year. 

Yoohyeon had barely had a moment to rest since then, but the second the option is on the table she agrees to it. No matter how hard it was, she remembers how happy she felt that first night, laying awake and relaxed, satisfied after a job well done. It’s easy to get addicted to that kind of feeling. 

She also regrets. The biggest of all, in hindsight, is that she had not been able to enjoy her own events, so busy planning ahead and extinguishing metaphorical fires. But if there was going to be a second time, she was not going to make the same mistake.

For the second year, Yoohyeon planned a ball. An honest to god formal dance, to close the event. An even where her _obligation_ is to be there and talk to people.

It’s indulgent and silly, but she thinks it will be fun. And so, she does it.

At night, when she lays in bed, exhausted, her mind wanders. She thinks of the stories she has read that captivated her, about the things that she wishes she could do. And lately, her mind strays to that girl in the library. Wonders, maybe, if she will see her again this year.

*

Soon enough the guests start arriving and she doesn’t have time for such thoughts.

She’s no stranger to the things people say about her. Although her father is still alive, after a very tough illness, he left all the reigning matters to her, against all their advisers in support of the opposite. She shouldn’t rule, they say, as she is not the queen. And she cannot be the queen unless she marries.

It is what tradition marks, they say, all the time. Then screw tradition, she wants to answer.

I will marry, is what she said instead, to the person that brings to me my heart’s key. 

_I will make sure they are not able to get it_, is what she doesn’t say. _I will keep it safe._

And until that happens, she rules.

*

The ball is a hit.

Yoohyeon is ecstatic, watching everyone mingle around, having fun. Recognizing familiar faces, and watching some new that she did not have the chance to see before. 

She stands in a corner of the room at first, trying to not interrupt everyone’s conversations, but little by little people notice that she is there and get near her to talk to her. Part of her enjoys the positive comments and congratulations from the people coming over to talk, even if she doesn’t enjoy being the center of attention that much. It comes with the job though, so she guesses she should not complain too much about it.

She gets to see with her own eyes the result of her hard work, and that is almost better than anything.

(”Any decent suitors, your Highness? We are awaiting your engagement with excitement.”

“So am I,” she lies, managing to sound sad, “I am still waiting for someone to bring me the key.”

“Don’t lose hope, our son has been close to catching that beast a couple of times,” they say. “Our families might be joining soon enough.” 

Yoohyeon fights to not laugh, remembering how easy it was to taunt the kid and how far he was to actually pursue her.)

Even now and then she accepts the petitions of guests to dance, because it’s her own party and she is there to have fun. It is one of those moments where she gets partner switched to Yoobin. They make small talk and when the dance is over they talk. 

Of course, Yoohyeon remembers her as the girl from the library, but what she could have never imagined is that the person that was almost a fantasy in her mind could be so interesting in real life.

When she waves her goodbye the next day, she hopes she can see her again next year.

***

> Princess Yoohyeon didn’t wish upon a star. It was rare and unreliable, and she didn’t think they should be wasted on small wishes like that.
> 
> Silly princess Yoohyeon, who was in the hearts of many, to not realize what was inside of hers. Did not realize how not small her own wish was.

***

It surprises nobody when spring brings the news of the summit coming back for a third year.

Yoobin doesn’t even think about it twice when confirming her attendance, already thinking of meeting all the people she’s met over the last two years. 

Out of everything Yoobin thought the summit would bring to her, the last thing she expected was to meet the cat that the rumors talked about. It was gray and slender, and when Yoobin saw it for the first time, it was definitely running away from what looked like the prominent heirs of neighboring kingdoms. 

Seeing the situation, destiny presented Yoobin with a choice. She could very well turn around, try to find the library another day, or she could do something. And like that, she stepped into the guys’ path, entertaining them with little nothings until they pushed her aside. By then, the cat was nowhere to be seen and Yoobin smiled to herself.

(She never had a choice, anyway; she was never the kind to look away.)

Coincidence is a playful thing and Yoobin ends up saving the cat two more times in the course of her stay. One memorable time included letting the cat enter her room and petting it until it were calm and the princess' suitors were well away from the corridor. 

(Yoobin wondered how any of them had managed to get the key yet, when in the small time the cat was with her, while tentative at first, Yoobin had ended with a very soft purring cat on her lap. “What did they do to a sweet cat like you for you to run from them?” she had cooed, completely surrendered to the cat’s charms.)

Coincidence is just another way for the universe to move its strings. For Yoobin that means finding herself dancing with princess Yoohyeon again in one of the partner-switching games that are starting to be tradition at the ball. 

This time is different, though. 

They had talked in the past. Yoobin had found her fascinating and thought it couldn’t get any better than this, but she was oh so wrong.

This time, they _click_.

The dance ends but they keep each other’s company for the rest of the night. Or, to be more accurate, they keep being interrupted over and over by people eager to talk to Yoohyeon until she gets fed up and gets them both to the garden, and there they hide and laugh and talk until the moon is nowhere in sight. 

(”I almost don’t want to go,” Yoohyeon says. Yoobin wonders if she imagines the longing in her voice. Worries she’s hearing her own feelings instead.)

***

The first one to write is Yoobin, sending a letter along with a copy of her favorite book from her own library. Yoohyeon reads that one at night, in the privacy of her bedroom, where no one can interrupt her. It takes her less than a week to finish the book.

Less than a day after that, there is a letter traveling as fast as it can go with Yoobin’s name on it.

They write a lot that year, in fact. 

They share gossip of the kingdoms that they are closest to and write anecdotes of the friends they have made during all these years during the summit. Yoohyeon tells her about the rumors she has heard about her running away with a prince during the ball, and how everyone holds their breath for what they think it’s the logical outcome after that. Yoobin tells her, in turn, that she has met her cat, and later in the year, when they feel like they have known each other for their whole lives, she asks Yoohyeon what truth there is on what people say. 

It will still take her a while to get an answer that one.

By the time the next summit comes, Yoobin’s invitation comes together with a handwritten note inside of it.

“You will come, right? Can’t wait to see you.”

***

Yoohyeon waits eagerly for Yoobin’s arrival that year. She receives her at the door and personally walks her to her room as they catch up, in person, about the things they talked about in their letters.

They sit on Yoobin’s bed for hours until Yoohyeon’s responsibilities catch up with her, feeling regretful for leaving Yoobin so soon.

They sneak at night to one of their rooms, or the library, or some hidden corner of the castle that Yoohyeon guides Yoobin to. They talk for hours, about their friends, about their worries, about their future. 

Yoohyeon searches for Yoobin’s eyes during meetings, and more often than not, she finds Yoobin already looking back at her. 

When the situation allows to, they study together, sharing notes and opinions about the conferences they attend to. Sometimes Minji joins them, sometimes it’s Yoobin’s friends who do. 

And then, at the ball, the last night before Yoobin has to go again, she finds herself more excited than previous years. It feels like it’s the first time she’s actually having fun, and Yoohyeon can’t keep the smile off her face.

(It’s not fair to say it’s the first time she’s having fun, but it’s probably the first time she has been having this much fun. The other thing that keeps her feeling tingling and excited all around, that’s unnamed and definitely new.)

It gets better when Yoobin slides beside her, and saves Yoohyeon from a rather conservative conversation that she did not wish to take part in. It gets better when, after saving her from that, Yoobin bows and asks her for a dance. 

It gets wonderful when they sneak out of the room once the dance is done, before anyone else can ask them for their turn with either of them. They run to the forest again, and enjoy each other’s company under the moonlight, hands joined when they come back.

Yoohyeon doesn’t transform even once that year.

It is, without a doubt, the best year so far.

***

> They keep writing letters to each other. 
> 
> There are, of course, letters about keeping the other up to date about current events and how the acquaintances they made during the celebrations are doing when they come back home. There’s a great deal of that, since Bora seems to be marrying the princess of the Han family. 
> 
> But there’s another kind of content creeping in, more and more and more until it monopolizes the content of their messages until they run out of space. 
> 
> They express how much they miss each other, their longing to see one another. Yoohyeon wishes for the summit to arrive sooner, and Yoobin suggests only half jokingly that they could find another time to meet together.
> 
> Yoohyeon doesn’t mention how she misses the way Yoobin laughed at her stupid jokes, and Yoobin doesn’t say that she remembers the way her eyes shone that first night they danced together as if it were yesterday. 
> 
> Yoobin asks about the cat again, and Yoohyeon answers this time. The cat is well and happy and Yoohyeon is “_sure that she will love to play around with you if you meet her this year,_” she writes.
> 
> Both count the days left until they see each other again.
> 
> What they did not know was that this year was going to be different.

***

It doesn’t dawn on Yoobin that she’s basically courting Yoohyeon until Bora, playfully, points it out to her.

But then it does, and several things go through her mind. 

Yoobin thought she did not want to marry. She thought she was not _prepared_ to marry. She wouldn’t like to marry if not for love.

But then Yoohyeon’s image appears and she thinks of her laugh, and all the hours they’ve spent together and the way she sometimes thinks of just holding her hand and the idea does not seem all that crazy.

Except for the fact, of course, that Yoohyeon does not want to marry either.

That fact is the only thing keeping Yoobin from telling Yoohyeon. Why burden her with her own heart if there is nothing she can do to help. 

And yet, when she sees Yoohyeon waiting for her on top of her castle, waving her from afar, Yoobin forgets about everything she shouldn’t do in favor or rushing inside, hugging her and letting herself be twirled around when they meet, _finally_ after a long year.

*

After the revelation, things appear to be exactly the same.

Yoohyeon searches for Yoobin at night and shows her the night sky from as close as Yoobin has ever been, and holds her hand all the time. Tells her about the constellations and the stories and Yoobin watches her in awe, not missing a word. 

Other days, she asks Yoobin for stories of her own kingdom, and Yoobin tells her all. About her home, about the landscape, about the people. “Maybe one day you can visit,” Yoobin says, “I think you’d really enjoy it.” Yoohyeon smiles, casting her eyes down and Yoobin doesn’t think she’s imagining it when she hears “I’d love that.”

They escape to the kitchen one night and feast on ice cream and it’s there when Yoobin dares to ask about the cat and the rumors. She asks whose idea was it (”_mine_”) and how much truth is there in the rumors (”_most of it, from what I know_”). She doesn’t want to pry too much in something that would make her uncomfortable, but she wonders what will happen if someone she doesn’t like catches the cat and gets the key (”_that won’t happen_”), and how is she so sure (Yoobin gets a cryptic smile for that one that she isn’t sure how to take) and what will happen if someone Yoohyeon does like doesn’t get the key (”you’re awfully interested in this, Yoobin-ah”).

Yoobin tries to not shiver at the sound of her name whispered like that.

The first night she can’t meet Yoohyeon after dinner, she’s surprised to find the cat sleeping on her bed. It follows Yoobin’s movements as she approaches the bed, but doesn’t move even when Yoobin climbs in, and lays beside it. Yoobin makes sure to leave enough space for the cat to lay comfortably. What it does, instead, is to move closer to where Yoobin is resting, laying curled closer to the pillow. Yoobin smiles, petting it carefully. 

And then, for reasons she will never be able to explain, murmurs stories and tales until she falls asleep.

*

The days come and go and before they notice it, they are already at the ball. Yoobin bows before Yoohyeon and takes her to dance immediately, and after, they walk around the garden like that first time. Except now, their hands are linked as they walk around. They can still hear the music, even if muted, and Yoobin bows, asking Yoohyeon for another dance.

It’s a slow dance meant for couples, Yoobin realizes too late. She doesn’t want to stop. She wonders if Yoohyeon recognized the song from afar. If it means anything that she accepted. 

Yoobin turns her around and the moonlight frames Yoohyeon’s eyes and Yoobin can’t look away. 

“What would happen if someone were to kiss you before they get the key?” Yoobin asks. She’s not sure where it came from but it’s out of her mouth before she can stop it. 

Yoohyeon startles, but keeps dancing. “Why the sudden interest?” 

“No reason.” 

Time stops and their movement stops as Yoohyeon gets too close by any courtesy standards, and whispers in Yoobin’s ear. “Depends on the kiss, don’t you think? If it is from the person that is going to declare their undying love to me, I think that getting the key first would be appropriate, yes.”

She doesn’t miss the way her eyes lock on her lips for longer than a moment, before she leaves, alone, leaving Yoobin stunned, heart racing, and definitely in love.

*

When she goes to her room that night, she’s surprised to find the cat on her bed again. Awake, and looking at her.

She wonders shortly why it seems to seek her a lot lately, but given the situation she is not going to complain. Yoobin stretches her hand to pet the cat, cooing at them, trying to make them relax enough to get the collar off. “Look at you, such a good cat,” she says. 

It seems like the universe is not done giving her surprises, because the cat closes the distance, rubbing themselves against Yoobin’s hand only to run away a second after. Yoobin tries to run after them, disappointed, but when she turns to the bed she sees something laying there. Something that was not hers.

Something that looks like a key.

*

In ten seconds, she’s picking the key, not believing what she’s seeing.

In thirty seconds, she’s out of her room, running, searching for the cat, or Yoohyeon’s room, she’s not sure.

In less than five minutes, she’s outside of Yoohyeon’s room, walking back and forth. _Should she knock_, she wonders. 

And then the door opens.

***

> Oh, they get married, of course. Eventually.
> 
> Yoobin takes Yoohyeon home, first. They romance each other, and they enjoy the thrill of every second of it.

***

“So, when were you going to tell me?”

It’s late at night, an ordinary day in an ordinary week. They have been formally promised to each other and it’s not frowned upon for them to meet in public, to spend time together. Yet, they still find corners of reality where to hide from the word, where to talk their hearts out. 

It’s one of those times when Yoobin takes the chance to ask.

Yoohyeon pretends not to know what Yoobin is asking about, looks away to hide her smile. Yoobin presses on.

“Since when are you able to transform into a cat?”

Yoobin’s tone is not hurt, not accusing. And it’s that what convinces Yoohyeon to tell the truth.

“It’s a funny story,” she starts. “So did you know that there are books that you should not read out loud, right?” Yoohyeon waits until Yoobin nods to continue. “Well, I did not know that when I was five. I had just learned to read and found a picture of a pretty cat and the next thing I knew-” 

Yoobin hasn’t taken her eyes off Yoohyeon but it doesn’t take more than a blink for Yoohyeon to disappear inside her clothes and for Yoobin to have a lapful of cat the next moment, purring as she gets comfortable on top of her.

It will take some more time for Yoohyeon to tell Yoobin everything, and for Yoobin to answer all of Yoohyeon’s questions herself, but it’s okay.

They have time.

**Author's Note:**

> Very special thank yous to M, T, J, B and R for the hand holding and bearing with my melodramatic self during editing. 
> 
> And another one to everyone reading up until here ♥
> 
> P.S. [I'm not saying it fits, but _it fits_.](https://twitter.com/hf_dreamcatcher/status/1169898074103152646)


End file.
